Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral

Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, also referred to as Rifugio "Antonietta" al Pialeral or Rifugio Antonietta, is a refuge on Grignone at Pasturo in Valsassina to about 1,400 meters of height in Località Costa of Pialeral. The refuge is located about halfway between Pasturo and Rifugio Luigi Brioschi which is few meters below the summit of Northern Grigna, easily reached by many trails.

Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral's manager is Dario Pensa, Refuge Telephone: 0341 955462, Home Phone: 035 4517465, Mobile Telephone: 338 3154374, Website: http://www.rifugioantonietta.it.
The refuge is open for 2015 every day in July, August, until 13 September and weekends.

The trails to Rifugio Antonietta are Sentiero Pasturo - Pialeral less than two hours walk uphill, Sentiero Traversata Bassa Piani dei Resinelli - Pialeral about two hours, Sentiero Colle di Balisio - Pialeral one hour; just above the refuge Sentiero Pialeral - Rifugio Brioschi (summer and winter trail) two hours or two hours and a half, Sentiero Traversata Bassa Pialeral - San Calimero - Rifugio Riva one hour and a half, for cyclists Pedalling in the Park's signs.
You arrive uphill at the shelter on the mule track partially cemented along the coast of the mountain among other huts as continuation of the agro-forestry-pastoral Road Pasturo - Alpe Cova ten minutes from Alpe Cova, the trails here have common trait.

On arrival at refuge along the road a great beech and with a few steps leads to the outside of the shelter, a wooden sign between ivy tells Rifugio "Antonietta" al Pialeral met in 1400, under a flower bed with flowers of different species indicated by their name, under the beech a small Christ on the cross. On a long table and two benches on the sides you can stand either the refuge is open or closed.
Hanging on a cabin bordering the refuge an an educational panel by Regional Park of the Northern Grigna and Valsassina, Valvarrone, Val d'Esino and Riviera Mountain Community, in a tourist project that originated from Geosites of Insubria, the second of the Path geological-paleontological of Pialeral. The title is Pialeral: i pesci dello Scudo (Pialeral: the fishes of the Shield) and showing fossils found on Grigna dating back about 235 million years ago.
A few meters further well-visible a wooden sign which points Sentiero Scaccabarozzi San Calimero hours 1 Rifugio Riva hours 2 Can not bike, is a path that connects to Traversata Bassa.
A fountain of rain water is just at the entrance door and entering into a small space always open that makes as bivouac in case of need. On the facade to the road a fresco of three meters by two of St. George slaying the dragon.

Rifugio Antonietta is a two-storey building can accommodate up to 35 people, of which twenty-two in a large room and the rest in three bedrooms.
Getting in a bench with the cash and behind the kitchen, on the right a small room to eat, many memories of the place and the mountain also vintage are on the walls. A large and beautiful terrace adorned with red flowers with views of the Valsassina and its Plateau is the place to eat on wooden tables in the beautiful summer days.
The cuisine is homemade with products primarily of the area. The main dishes are those of the mountains as pizzoccheri, vegetable soup and polenta, polenta of cheeses, polenta overcooked, and other typical, apple pie.

Rifugio Antonietta point of support of the place replaced Rifugio Mario Tedeschi al Pialeral destroyed by an avalanche on January 31, 1986 in the great plan of Pialeral at the end of Foppa del Ger just above the current. Pialeral remained without its reference, the mountain hut Innocente of Antonietta Pensa became first base for the mountain rescue and then Rifugio Pialeral that over time was enlarged.
Since the 2000s Rifugio Pialeral or Rifugio "Pialeral" became Rifugio Antonietta, there are still around the mountains signs with the old name. The refuge is now managed by Dario son of Antonietta.

I stopped a few times at Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, to eat a slice of cake or a quick meal on the terrace watching the valley before the descent.

1. Rifugio Antonietta al Pialeral, rifugioantonietta.it